The Buz and Ned Story

Twenty-one years ago I set out to learn the secrets of real barbecue, hoping to return someday to Richmond to show my friends just what world-class BBQ is really all about.

Cooking BBQ in Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Kansas City, Lexington and Memphis, I have learned the BBQ secrets of many of the country’s famous BBQ regions. I traveled and explored every highly touted BBQ joint I could find, (from Do-City BBQ in the Fog City, to Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City, from Sonny Bryan’s in Dallas to Goldie’s in Vicksburg, from Scott’s BBQ in Lexington, TN, to Lexington’s BBQ #1 in Lexington, N.C.) sharing secrets with the old timers who were tending the pits and preparing secret family recipes, (many of which have been handed down for generations).

It was on one of my journeys that I ran across Ned. In Jefferson County, at the crossroads connecting the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Ned was producing the best barbecue I had ever tasted. Using recipes that had been handed down for over 150 years, that old-timer was a county legend and their best-kept secret. Before he gave up the ghost, Ned passed his secrets on to me, making me promise to keep his family BBQ tradition alive.

Now in my 15th year of making good on that promise.

Buz and Ned’s Real Barbecue, a Richmond tradition since 1992.

The End.